Category: Life Challenges

Leave it to a fish with short term memory loss to be brilliant with reciting a famous line, over and over and over again. Words of such simplicity, but so much meaning behind them.

Have you ever been in what I call “a funk”and it seems like life is out to get you? Well, that’s where Dory’s famous words come in handy, especially when it’s on continuous repeat in our mind “Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming“. It gives us the opportunity to shift our mindset and swim out of that deep dark tunnel (where all the bad fish are). Someone wise once told me it’s called tunnel vision (if you’re reading this, you know who you are.)

I have interpreted this into NOT “running away from problems” but dealing with them full force with a different attitude. (Because I’ve been the type to think even the smallest of problems my world was shutting down.)

Warning: This post is not recipe related, diy related, or any parenting hacks…simply just words related to emotions…proceed at your own risk… (seriously though at least scroll to the bottom for an amazing book review)

I’m not one to hide the fact that I too have my own life struggles, just like anyone else, it’s simply human nature. Recently there have been moments where I have wanted to hide under a blanket and just be in my own “mom fort” for a little while (long enough to BREATHE). Have you ever tried it? Imagine being in a quiet and calm place where no one can find you… Sounds so peaceful, right?!

Life is complicated, messy, and hard. PERIOD. but the good news is there’s usually always something good waiting for you (that’s the “just keep swimming part”). Bottom line is, when you recognize that this is LIFE and although the hard times aren’t necessarily going away, a little twist on your perspective can make those problems not seem as big.

Always, always,ALWAYS think about the good happenings in your life. Big John is actually really good at reminding me of this. It’s definitely difficult at times to “see” that good, but that’s where the change in perspective helps you to put on your “goggles” so you can actually see where you’re swimming.

No one needs to know your struggles, we all have them, but in different ways (sometimes it just shows in our face)…what people do need to see is how you’re perceiving life. Be kind, jubilant, grateful, and humble throughout the day. Something I’m striving for when I drag myself out of bed and rise to a new day.

I needed a moment to write this to you because I had my “mommy melt down” recently where stress was just built up, and it exploded inside of me. (We have all been there, I’m sure!) I won’t go into details about the underlying factors, but let’s just say I’m overworking myself. I also came to realize my perspective on things was a bit off…

I’m tired too (which I know many readers can relate) and a voice inside my head was calling for me to slow down my swim strokes, but keep going. Slow isn’t a bad thing…remember the Tortoise and the Hare story?! My point is, don’t get distracted by negativity in life, or anxious thoughts that keep swirling around in your head. Let the water guide you through the current and set ease on a new perspective. (I’m pretty sure I’m just giving myself a pep talk!)

My sister recently sent me a book (can’t thank you enough, sissy!) Carry On Warrior: The Power of Embracing Your Messy Beautiful Life by Glennon Doyle Melton. It’s a read that every mama should have on her list! They’re short essays about finding that balance between messy and beautiful within life situations. Along with accepting that life isn’t always “peachy”, and you know what… it’s okay. She’s an authentic writer who helps you to build connections, understand that you can “do hard things”, and even gives you moments of laughter. Glennon takes you through scenarios in her everyday life where her perspective on things started to change, and guess what? She’s living a much happier lifestyle. She kept swimming.

Today my friends, take these thoughts with you…

keep swimming through life, but with a new perspective…meaning-be grateful for what you have, stop comparing to others, and hold your head high to find the beauty in your daily grind. (I know… easier said than done, but it’s definitely an achievable thing with persistence and the right mindset.)

everyday see what you have to be thankful for, maybe even make a mental list

see the good out of those messy situations (trust me there usually is at least 1 good thing)

it’s okay that life is messy sometimes, you will survive (you may start to become the best swimmer yet!)

self care-slow down and take care of yourself

I write off here leaving you with a gift of reading. I’ll pause here so you can look this book up onAmazonand purchase this as a present for yourself (consider it from me;) )

Remember when life gets you down, let the wise words of Dory whisper to you on repeat “just keep swimming”, and you’ll whisper back to yourself…

“Be grateful, Be humble, Be calm. AND Remember who controls the winds and the waves.”

I can’t believe the holidays are fast approaching! This year is going to be a very special holiday because it’s our first holiday season as a family of 3! Growing up I always remembered the traditions that my family had around the holiday season. Funny thing is I don’t remember much about the Christmas gifts I received, but I do remember the traditions (memories) we had. Although, before we even discuss Christmas traditions, let’s talk about Thanksgiving traditions.

Since being a new mom I want to start traditions and create special memories with my children during the holidays. The thing is it can get overwhelming because there are so many fun and creative traditions floating around on the internet (have you been on Pinterest lately?!). I obviously can’t do all of them, but I can narrow it down to just a few to start with during our first holiday season together as a family of 3. As the years progress I may add-on a little here and there, but I want to start with just the basics. Continue reading “Establishing Thanksgiving Traditions as a New Mom”→

Hi, I’m Amanda and I’m a new mom who has anxiety. Yes, you read that right. I have dealt with anxiety pretty much my whole life, and you know what?…just because now I’m a mom it hasn’t magically disappeared. I’m here to share with you NOT how I grieve in my anxiety , but how I MANAGE it as a new mom. Yes, I still have situations where my anxiety takes the best of me, but I truly make it a goal in my life to NOT let that be the case (no pills, no doctors, just my own tactics). I have even more motivation because I’m managing it not just for myself, but for my beloved family. Continue reading “A Mom Managing Anxiety”→

I don’t know what it is about flipping a calendar to a fresh new month, but I love it! (I know I’m weird, but I get so much satisfaction from it, I truly can’t be the only one!) Since being a stay at home mom the one thing I knew I would struggle with is the “staying home part”. Like I mentioned in a previous post I’m a very busy mama bee. I like to keep going and have a full week’s schedule. Although, I have come to realize I need to slow down a bit and take a day or two off and not constantly be on the go. This week’s challenge has to do with developing a weeklyroutine schedule for you and your little one, as well as incorporating other activities and games at home into your little ones schedule. Continue reading “New Month, New Schedule”→

What’s in a photo? There are so many unlimited choices of what you can capture in a photograph. Mostly photos are a captured moment of a small part of time in your life. These moments range with numerous amounts of feelings; joy, humor, lust, grief, gratitude, and the list goes on. Have you ever been in public and not seen at least one person taking a picture? Our society loves taking pictures. We want to always remember those moments and be able to look back at them, that’s the beauty of photography, you can freeze a moment and always look back at it.

On October 7th & 8th our little family bunkered down in our Orlando home and were prepared for the worst to come from the effects of Hurricane Matthew. First of all I want to say my thoughts and prayers are with all those that experienced damage or trauma during the hurricane. This was one of the most frightening times of my life. Even though Orlando didn’t get hit nearly as bad as they anticipated, just knowing what could have come and the preparation brought many fears. Since living in Orlando (5 years now) we have never experienced anything like this.

The first thing that went through my mind was “How am I going to be strong for Johnny?” It’s different going through a natural disaster with a baby. You have to be brave and continue with everyday routines. Johnny was such a trooper through it all. I really think he had no idea what was going on and thought “just another play day with mommy and daddy” The outpour of prayers, love, and support was astonishing! Thank you to all!

You could truly feel the strength of support rise above the hurricane.

After being a SAHM for a few months now I realized how important a morning routine is, not just for my son, but also for me! Now, sometimes our mornings are slow to start and tend to run until about almost 11:oo am, but once I have everything completed our day tends to run more smoothly. Don’t get me wrong, I have days where these routines are set aside and I never get to them. The great thing though, there is always tomorrow to start fresh. This week’s challenge is to have in place some type of daily habit that sets you up for “success”. So follow along as I take you through my morning and the simple routines I have set in place as a mom. Remember a habit takes about 21 days to truly become an everyday habit, if you feel you need some support in this aspect you can visit my previous post on setting daily habits in place with flylady.